Archive for the ‘Decorating with plants’ Category
October 26th, 2011

Plant of the Month: Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum)

Chyrsanthemum

Commonly known as a mum, the Chrysanthemum is a hardy plant has become the standard fall flower for many gardeners in cooler climates. The mum’s ability to be winter-hardy in zones 5 and up, and, with a little extra care, in zone 4, makes it a very versatile and reliable addition to any garden. However, make sure to plant your mums in the spring to ensure that they are well-established, in order to have them survive the winter. Mums even work well in container gardening!

Mums typically are anywhere from 2-4 feet high, and are available in a large variety of different colors. Choose blooms in bright reds, oranges, yellows, purples, and pinks! Exhibition varieties of chrysanthemums can also be found in a variety of different flower types as well, but these may not be has hardy as the the non-exhibition type, so be sure to read your label to check zone hardiness. Make sure and dead head these as well so that you can enjoy a healthy plant.

Do you have any experience with mums in  your outdoor living space?

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February 3rd, 2011

Top 10 Indoor Plants

If you love your foliage and are stuck inside because of the cold, don’t worry, you can still have your plants and grow them too!

Here is a list of the top 10 indoor plants to help you get through the cold winter months.

1. Peace lily – This is a great indoor plant that is small enough to be placed on your table top or anywhere you like. It has long stems and elegant white flowers, perfect for any décor!

2. Philodendron – If you’re thumb isn’t the greenest, this average sized plant is perfect foryou! It requires little light and works well in hallways or darker areas.

3. Weeping fig – This is one tough little tree, but great for indoors. Its leaves are small and shiny and is sometimes available in other forms such as a ‘lollipop’ tree.

4. Dracaena ‘Happy Plant’ – This plant needs moderate watering and does best in spaces with medium light.

5. Syngonium – Not keen on bugs, consider this insect resistant plant! The Syngonium loves humidity and loves to be misted regularly.

6. Silver queen (a.k.a. Chinese evergreen) – Very attractive indoor plant that normally runs on the small side, enjoys a mild climate and does well in low light.

7. Lady palm – This plant sounds high maintenance, but you’ll be surprised! Keep it watered and out of direct light, and its happy. Keep in mind it grows very slow and can be quite pricey.

8. Stromanthe – Double your pleasure with this gorgeous mult-color plant. The leaves are a deep green and underneath present a rich purple hue. This plant loves bright light and misting.

9. Rubber plant – This plant is great for households that might have children eager to touch plants and explore. It is bred for toughness and survives in low light. It tends to grow on the large size and is content in a dry environment.

10. Kentia palm – Very elegant, and quite tall, this plant has feather-like fronds and survives in low light as well as brighter areas.

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January 21st, 2011

Now on Sale – Plant Stands are Great for Decorating Indoors and Outdoors

Now for a Limited Time…Buy one plant stand and get the second one for 50% off the purchase price.
A wide variety of heights, styles, finishes and colors are available. Mix and match indoors or outdoors to create your own distinctive display of the container plants, foliage and flowers that you love.

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January 20th, 2011

Don’t Let Your Plants Get Thirsty…

Do you have problems keeping your house plants watered?  Not sure what to do with your house plants when you are on vacation?

Now on sale, the CobraCo® Plant Sitter™ Water System is a patented automatic watering system that provides a healthy well-balanced diet of water & fertilizer for your plants.  Includes a 1 quart tank and ceramic sensor and fits almost any planter.

The CobraCo® Plant Sitter™ provides drip irrigation for a houseplant up to 3 weeks, so it’s ideal for when you are away from home on vacation. This patented automatic watering system includes replacement sensors. And right now you can save $10 with your purchase.

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November 10th, 2010

Free When You Purchase a Fire Pit From Avant Garden

Limited Time Offer!
Make a purchase from our extensive line of Fire Pits and get a FREE S’Mores Fork.
It’s Easy!
Add your selected Fire Pit to your Shopping Cart.
Add The CobraCo® S’Mores Fork (Model #SMF100) to your cart.
Proceed to checkout.
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Go to: http://www.avantgardendecor.com/store/fire-pits

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September 8th, 2010

Balcony Gardening

Plants can add privacy and add a design touch all your own to a balcony no matter how large or small.

You can use plants to create some screening between you and the rest of the world without taking up precious floor space.

If you have a balcony, you can introduce trailing foliage in railing and horse trough planters along the railing.  If feasible, fill hanging baskets with cascading foliage and trailing plants, then suspend them from a ceiling or building facade.

All natural coco liners used with wire and metal planters, stands and hanging baskets exhibit a lighter, open design style that fits well into a smaller space while the rich, read more

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September 2nd, 2010

Design & Decorating Tips

Decorating with outdoor plants is a great way to introduce visual interest and a personal, creative touch to your home. The variety of shapes, the range of color, and the natural textures of living elements make your design choices as unique as they are limitless.

Using Containers
Container planters, available in a wide variety of styles, shapes and sizes, offer you a wide range of design versatility. Choose containers that will complement the landscaping design style of your outside space.

Think about using eco-friendly, all natural coco liners. They make great container liners, particularly for wire and metal planters, stands and hanging baskets. They keep read more

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August 31st, 2010

Starting with Seeds

Want to really begin your gardening experience from the ground up? Then you might want to start with seeds.

If that sounds like a challenge you’d like to take on, you have some decisions to make from the very beginning. Namely, what do I want to grow? Flowers? Vegetables? Herbs? Fortunately, whatever you decide, you’re probably going to purchase seeds that are commercially-produced, so that’s a leg up.

Commercially-produced garden seeds typically are packaged with valuable information to make your garden a success. After all, you won’t buy more seeds next year if they don’t take this year. Consequently, these packages will tell you when to sow your seeds, whether they require full sun or partial shade, the ideal temperature for gemination, when and how to space the seedlings, and how large the plants are likely read more

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August 24th, 2010

Vertical Planting Design

When many people hear the word “gardening,” they probably summon a vision of a landscaped yard, a large lot filled with blooms, foliage or even vegetables, or maybe an English cottage surrounded by flowers. Most folks think about things growing “out,”  not “up.”

Vertical Planting Design

If you have a deck, patio, porch or even just a balcony, it may be time to think about vertical planting. You can design a secluded place to relax, or block out an unwanted object with some screening between you and the rest of the world. Add height to your gardening efforts using vertical planting design to help you achieve that goal.

An ideal way to grow “up” is a modular vertical planting system that utilizes a framery system accommodating stacking planter boxes for flowers and foliage. These versatile modular read more

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August 18th, 2010

Container Gardening

What’s the best thing about gardening using containers? The answer? Anybody can do do it!

Beginner or advanced gardener. Homeowner or renter. Large yard, small yard. No yard. Deck, patio, porch, front steps, balcony, roof…window boxes. Grow flowers, foliage, vegetables and herbs for display and decoration, fragrance and recipe ingredients. Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you want to grow…the opportunities for container gardening are limitless.

Container planters, available in a wide variety of styles, shapes and sizes, offer you the most gardening versatility.

Virtually any container can be used: wire and metal baskets lined with coconut coir, read more

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